The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cony Middle School
Cony Middle School sits on Pierce Drive in Augusta, Maine's capital city, and serves seventh and eighth graders as part of Augusta Public Schools. The school draws from a community defined by state government work, health care, retail, and the University of Maine at Augusta. The enrollment is moderate for a two-grade middle school, with a fairly even split between the two grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with small representation across other racial and ethnic groups. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the working-class and middle-income mix that characterizes Augusta's residential neighborhoods.
On state assessments, Cony's English language arts results stand out as the relative strength. Roughly half of tested students reached proficiency in ELA, a markedly better showing than the school's results in math and science. Math proficiency was well below the halfway mark, and science proficiency was lower still. Participation rates were strong across all three subjects. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from the provided information whether these results are improving, holding steady, or declining. A parent weighing Cony may want to look into how the school supports students who are below grade level in math and science, and what interventions or enrichment are available.
Augusta itself is an auto-oriented city spread across a large area with dispersed residential neighborhoods. The downtown core along the Kennebec River holds the State House, Old Fort Western, and the Water Street historic commercial strip, but most daily errands require a car. The Kennebec River Rail Trail offers a pedestrian and bicycle corridor along the river, and Viles Arboretum provides outdoor space. The city's population is modest and aging, with a large share of households made up of individuals living alone. Growth has been slow for a long time; Augusta was once among the larger urban centers in the region but was long ago bypassed by faster-growing metro areas. The housing market reflects this quieter trajectory. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below the Maine state benchmark and modestly below the national one, and rents have been rising recently while home values have dipped slightly. For families considering a move, Augusta offers relatively affordable housing compared with much of the state, and the price-to-income ratio is on the lower side.
The district context matters for parents looking at Cony. Augusta Public Schools operates four elementary schools feeding into the middle school, and voters were asked three separate times in 2024 to approve consolidating those four buildings into two. The consolidation question failed each time, preserving the current neighborhood elementary school structure. That decision shapes what Cony receives in terms of incoming seventh graders and the community identity those students carry with them. The school budget passed in June 2024, maintaining funding for district operations.
Several data gaps are worth naming. The school's Title I status was not reported, nor were charter or magnet designations; Cony is a traditional public school. Data on special education enrollment, English learner populations, staffing ratios, attendance, discipline, and course access was not available in the provided material, so those dimensions of school life cannot be described here. Because Cony serves only seventh and eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and that gap reflects the grade band rather than any omission. No program offerings were listed, so parents would need to ask the school directly about extracurriculars, advanced coursework, or specialized supports.
Cony Middle School fits a family looking for a mid-sized, traditional public middle school in an affordable capital-city setting, with reasonably strong reading outcomes and a community anchored by public-sector employment and civic institutions. The math and science proficiency results are the area where a parent would most want to ask questions before enrolling.
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